


that's not love i smell

by flaneuse



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/F, Femslash, Rule 63
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-04-07
Updated: 2014-04-07
Packaged: 2018-01-18 13:25:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,409
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1430110
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/flaneuse/pseuds/flaneuse
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>based on this tumblr post: http://latortuemaladroit.tumblr.com/post/76346255867/can-you-imagine-remus-harping-on-sirius-all-the</p>
            </blockquote>





	that's not love i smell

It's so easy for Sirius to find Remus now. It didn't always come easy to her. With James, it's almost like they share the same mind. She's never had to guess with James because anything he does is what she would have done herself. But Remus, Remus is a different horse—er, wolf—altogether. Sirius had to learn Remus, and now that she has, she can't get enough.

The point is, when Sirius needs to bother Remus, she just has to think to herself, _oh, it's free period on a Friday, so Remus is in the library attempting her Transfiguration homework and trying not to worry about what James and I are getting up to._ And sure enough, when Sirius jogs into the library and skids around a bookshelf that she almost crashes into, there's Remus, sitting in her favorite armchair by the window, because she's ridiculous and can actually scribble notes without having to be at a desk. Sirius tried it once, but she ended up poking holes in the parchment with her quill, and decided that the homework didn't need doing that much after all.

Sirius is about to call out to Remus, but Remus is doing that thing where she rubs absentmindedly at the scar that cuts diagonally across her nose. It runs from just above her left eyebrow to a point about two centimeters to the right of her nose, or, as Sirius calls it, her favorite freckle. It sounds absurdly sentimentalist, but Sirius is allowed to be absurdly sentimentalist when it comes to Remus. It's just…Remus. Nothing more or less than her friendship with James or Peter, just different. And if she has to ignore the hollow, yet strangely heavy emptiness in her chest when Remus isn't there, then so be it. That's just how their friendship is. Sirius has never questioned it before and she won't now.

Remus stops rubbing at the scar and it's then that Sirius pounces. Remus lets out an indignant squeak as she gets a mouthful of Sirius' shaggy black hair and Sirius licks a stripe up Remus' cheek in response.

"You smell like a wet dog," Remus' voice is muffled from where Sirius is draped on top of her. 

"Remus, you tell me that almost every day. You really must think of new ways to compliment me, because it's getting old. Switch it up sometimes—I've been told I'm so messy not even an animal would live in my room, and that my inability to obey authority figures borders on the criminal—no wait, you told me those things too…" Sirius says thoughtfully, and finally rolls off, laughing, Remus when she pokes her in the stomach with her wand.

Remus is a little red-faced but she doesn't look too annoyed. In fact, she looks rather like she's trying to hold back fondness, but Sirius tends to have that effect on people.

"What do you want, Sirius?" Remus asks, and Sirius is going to answer but she gets distracted by the way Remus' hair escapes from the loose knot it's pulled back into. "You know, I think I might have to add 'easily distracted and worrisomely inattentive' to that list of compliments I keep giving you," Remus says, and Sirius shakes her head (a little like a dog, she knows, but she can't help it) and smiles, a little goofily.

"You know, I don't know. I suppose I just wanted to bother you." Sirius says, and Remus flushes and shuffles the books in her lap. 

"Well go away, I'm busy," Remus retorts, but she scoots over to make room for Sirius, and so Sirius shoves herself into the chair next to Remus.

"Mummy, I'd like a story," Sirius says, voice pitched higher than usual.

The corners of Remus' lips twitch up. "Very well," she says. "Once there was a dog who was the wettest smelling dog in the world."

Remus' voice is actually really husky and deep and lovely, so even though she's talking complete nonsense (and Sirius loves that she can bring that out of her), Sirius finds herself nodding off, never mind the crick in her neck that she can already feel forming.

 

The next morning, Sirius is in the dungeon, concentrating far harder than she ever has at Potions. Worse, she's not even in class at the moment. She's doing this for _fun_. Well, no, fun isn't exactly the word. She's doing this because every flippant comment Remus makes gets under her skin in a way she can't describe, makes her want to get Remus' attention, to prove herself, to…something, she doesn't even know anymore. So when the wet dog comments don't cease, Sirius gets an idea.

She's tried perfume that she nicked from another girl in her dormitory, she's tried finding Remus after eating the most garlicky food she could beg out of the house elves, but no matter what, Remus says she can smell the wet dog on her every time, without fail. But now she's got a foolproof plan. She's brewing Amortentia.

James finds her when she's almost done, when the potion is just getting its mother-of-pearl sheen. It isn't quite there yet, still too translucent, but another ten or so minutes of patient stirring and she's got it.

"Are you getting into trouble without me? I must admit, pretending you need the Potions classroom because you're worried about your marks just to brew up something foul is a great idea, and I honestly can't believe I didn't think of it, but why didn't you just tell me?" James asks, careful not bump Sirius as she stirs.

"Not getting into trouble this time," Sirius says, rolling up the sleeves of her robes when they threaten to drag over the surface of the cauldron. "At least, not our typical kind."

James raises a brow. "We're always getting into trouble."

"Yes well I promise that this time I have perfectly innocent intentions for lying to our professor so I can make Amortentia."

James whistles. "Trying to seduce some poor student, Sirius? I mean, I'd never shag you but you certainly don't need the help." He grins rakishly and Sirius just rolls her eyes.

"Please. People try and slip me love potions, not the other way around." Sirius says, and stops stirring when the potion in front of her looks like a liquid pearl. "Okay, here goes nothing."

Sirius cups her hand in the potion and splashes it on her collarbone, wrists, and behind her ears. Then she looks down, frowning, picks up the entire cauldron, and upends it over her head. It's not even standard size—the potion is supposed to be incredibly potent so she made a very small batch—but it's enough to leave her spluttering.

"Okay James," She says, still spitting liquid out of her mouth. "Smell me."

"Shouldn't you have asked me to smell it _before_ you took a bath in it?" James asks, but he dutifully leans forward and dramatically takes a long whiff.

He chokes and pulls back abruptly.

"What?" Sirius asks, panic making a knot in her stomach. "Did I mess it up?"

James shakes his head, looking up at her. His eyes are dark and he looks a little dazed. " _Merlin_ ," he whispers, awed. "You smell just like Lily."

Sirius lets out a whoop of joy. "I'd hug you, but I'm afraid you'd pounce on me, you lech."

James still looks dazed and Sirius bounds out of the dungeon, not even bothering to clean up after herself.

"I've got to find Remus!"

 

Sirius takes the stairs two at a time, leaving James behind her without a second thought. He'll clean up for her. Maybe. It's a Saturday, so Remus could be anywhere really, but luck must be with Sirius because she finds Remus near the entrance hall, just as she reaches the top of the stairs.

"Remus," Sirius says, a smile spreading across her face instinctually. Her heart is thudding, but that's just the physical exertion—it must be.

Remus tugs her robes straight and tucks her hair behind her ear self-consciously. Sirius isn't sure she's even aware she's doing it. Remus doesn't like being the center of attention, Sirius knows, and she tends to assume she's about to be made fun of, or something dreadful. But Sirius' genuine grin must put her at ease, because she visibly relaxes and smiles back.

"Sirius," Remus acknowledges, "I was about to go read by the lake—do you want to come?"

"Only if you continue the story about the wet-smelling dog," Sirius says, and links her arm through Remus' as they set off. Obviously this is only so Remus will smell the Amortentia. But Remus doesn't mention anything strange, like smelling everything she loves, so Sirius makes a point to situate her body even closer. Remus flushes and shoots Sirius a look, but Sirius ignores her.

They reach the shade of a large willow on the edge of the lake soon enough, and Sirius plops down, tugging Remus with her. Remus opens her book, and that's not good enough for Sirius, so Sirius sighs loudly and drapes an arm over Remus' shoulders.

"So Remus," Sirius says in what she hopes in a nonchalant tone. "What do I smell like today?"

Remus turns to Sirius and blinks, rubbing at her scarred face in confusion. 

"Pardon?" She asks.

"Do I smell different to you today?" Sirius asks leadingly, but Remus still isn't getting it. "I've tried something new—to mask that smell you always say I have. Call it a perfume if you will," Sirius says proudly.

Remus looks bemused, but leans forward and inhales deeply, the tip of her long nose brushing Sirius' jaw. Then she leans back and quirks an eyebrow.

"What did you do, eat a chocolate frog before you saw me?" Remus asks her, now smirking a little.

Now it's Sirius' turn to look bemused.

"Chocolate," Remus prompts. "You smell like wet dog and chocolate."

The wind blows Sirius' hair in her face and she shoves it away dumbly. She still smells like a wet dog. But, she's wearing Amortentia. She practically drowned in it, and James said it worked so…so… Sirius isn't what anyone would call stupid, not by a long shot, but the gears in her head are turning too slowly for her to make the connection right away, and then–

"Oh," Sirius breathes, eyes wide. " _Oh_ ," she says again.

Now Remus looks just a little irritated. "Are you going to tell me what's going on?"

Sirius grins, wide and almost painful.

"You love me," she says, awed. "You _love_ me." Sirius repeats, and Remus looks gobsmacked.

"I—I mean," Remus starts, her face flushed a noticeable shade of red. But she doesn't get a single word out because Sirius practically throws herself at Remus, kissing her square on the mouth. Remus lets out a squeak and her mouth parts, so Sirius slips her tongue into Remus' mouth eagerly, and it's warm and wet and feels like home. She feels Remus respond immediately, no hesitation at all, as if they've both just been waiting for this moment since the day they met. Sirius' arm is already slung around Remus' shoulders, so she pulls her close, and Remus has one hand braced on Sirius' thigh and the other clutching just under her breast. Remus' fingers fit into the grooves of her ribcage and Sirius pulls away, shuddering.

Sirius rests her forehead against Remus'. They're still in the exact same position, clutching each other a little bit desperately. Sirius looks at Remus and Remus' eyes are slitted and she looks winded and thoroughly debauched.

"You love me," Sirius whispers gleefully. She can't stop saying it. She kisses Remus on the lips once, twice, then moves to her jaw and neck. Remus shivers and tilts her head back, and Sirius lowers herself over Remus, so that Remus is lying back on the grass.

"Well," Remus tries to say, but she's flustered and her voice is too breathy. "I mean, just- stop saying that!"

Sirius pulls back abruptly, frowning. "Why?"

Remus sets her jaw and tries to look stern, but her lips are red and she's got spots of color high on her cheeks, not to mention the fact that her robes are dislodged and her sweater is askew. 

"Because of course I do. How could I not, when you're… and when I'm…" She gestures at herself, then exhales sharply. "There's no need to rub it in."

Sirius cocks her head to the side. Rub it in? Then comprehension dawns again for the second time that day.

"Oh Remus you _are_ stupid sometimes, aren't you?" Sirius says, grinning. She ducks her head down to kiss her again. "I love you too, you idiot. I've always loved you, probably, and I just didn't realize what it meant until the hormones kicked in and I was getting myself off to a bloody _werewolf_." Sirius pauses. "Not, you know, as a werewolf of course. Though I won't lie and say my fantasies don't involve quite a lot of biting." Sirius looks down at Remus, who looks like she's trying to fight a smile that's threatening to take over her face. "Now do you get it? I love you too."

Remus bites her lip and tries to casually shrug. "Well alright," she says loftily. "Carry on then."

Sirius rolls her eyes, and does.

 

A moment later, however, Remus breaks away, gasping. "Wait a moment," she says, her words catching on a moan as Sirius licks her way across her collarbone. "How did you know?"

Sirius grins against Remus' skin. "I may have brewed a batch of Amortentia and applied it liberally before coming to see you today. It seems like someone doesn't dislike my wet dog smell quite as much as they say they do."

Remus groans, hiding her face behind her hands.

"Hey," Sirius says, nudging her. "You want to know what Amortentia smells like to me?"

"What?" Remus says through her fingers.

"Well I don't actually know," Sirius admits, "I didn't smell it before I put it all over myself, and then I was too excited to see you to even think about it. But I expect it would smell like you." 

And Sirius is going to say something else, she really is, but Remus cuts her off with a kiss, and Sirius finds out that whatever she was going to say doesn't really need saying after all.


End file.
